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Government data on Friday showed Japan’s core inflation jumped to 3.5% in April, its highest in more than 2 years. The rise is attributed to the country’s inclined prices as the central bank considers pausing its rate hike posture to assess the impact of U.S. tariffs. The country’s core inflation figures, which exclude food and energy prices, were higher than expectations of 3.4%. Japan’s inflation also rose from 3.2% in the previous month to 3.5%, marking the highest level since January 2023. Japan’s annual Consumer Price Index stood at 3.6% year-over-year in April, remaining unchanged compared to its previous reading of 3.6% in April 2024. It remains above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. BOJ’s Governor Kazuo Ueda has signaled his position on intending to raise rates due to the price trends. He also cited the need to closely monitor the effects of U.S. tariffs. Japan has witnessed a rise in rice prices, which have doubled over the year. The country’s agriculture ministry said Monday the average price of rice sold at some 1,000 supermarkets across Japan hit another record high in the week through May 11. The ministry also noted that the average price per 5 kilograms increased by 54 yen from the previous week to 4,268 yen, the highest level on record dating back to March 2022. Japan had sold about 310,000 tons of stockpiled rice through auctions by April, but the distribution has remained static. According to the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zen-Noh), which purchased most of the auctioned rice, it had completed shipments of roughly 80,000 tons to wholesalers as of Thursday, only 41% of the rice it bought in the auctions in March. Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, pledged Wednesday to lower rice prices below 4,000 yen ($28) per 5 kg bag, vowing to stake his job on achieving the target. Masato Koike, economist at Sompo Institute Plus, said the core inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower crude oil prices and the yen’s appreciation. According to him, it was evident during Trump’s first administration that an oversupply of food stemming from the U.S. tariffs could lead to lower food prices. He believes that the resumption of government subsidies for electricity and gas bills in the summer will also create downward pressure on inflation. The Japanese yen on Friday inched up by 0.15% to 143.80 against the U.S. dollar following the release of inflation data. Topix equities rose 0.7%, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained by 0.5%. Japan’s yields on 10-year government bonds shed 0.041 percentage points to 1.52%, while those on the 40-year bonds plummeted by 7 basis points to 3.624% after hitting record highs earlier in the week. Marcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, argued that the persistent strength in inflation will convince the BOJ to increase interest rates again in October. He had predicted that a rise at the central bank’s October policy meeting appeared more realistic than at its July gathering. “While the BOJ is rightly taking a patient approach, the upshot is a lesser than expected tax cut, which maintains high inflation that could lower consumption and slow the economy.” -Krishna Bhimavarapu, Asia-Pacific Economist at State Street Global Advisors. Japan saw a rise in inflation in the wake of its 10% baseline tariff that the U.S. Donald Trump imposed on most trade partners. The country also faces a 24% reciprocal tariff, which is set to come into effect in July unless it manages to strike a deal with the U.S. The nation is also one of the hardest hit by Trump’s 25% levy on auto, steel, and aluminum products. Negotiations between the two trade partners seem to be in a standoff as Japanese senior officials have requested that Washington remove all tariffs on Japan. The Japanese officials emphasized that the country would not rush into any deal that would put Tokyo’s interests at risk. KEY Difference Wire helps crypto brands break through and dominate headlines fast

Four new cryptocurrency-related bills were introduced in the Michigan legislature this week, covering public pension investments in crypto, mining, income tax exemptions, and restrictions on CBDC support. As of May 23, four new proposed legislations, House Bills 4510, 4511, 4512, and 4513, have been introduced in the Michigan legislature, marking a coordinated push to define the state’s approach to cryptocurrency. House Bill 4510, introduced by Representative Bill Schuette, seeks to amend Michigan’s Public Employee Retirement System Investment Act to allow the state treasurer to invest in cryptocurrencies. The bill restricts eligibility to digital assets with an average market capitalization of at least $250 billion over the past calendar year. Currently, only Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) meet this threshold. These investments must be made through exchange-traded products issued by a registered investment company. House Bill 4511 , sponsored by Representative Bryan Posthumus, proposes prohibiting the state and its subdivisions from banning the holding of digital assets or imposing licensing, permitting, or discriminatory tax requirements based solely on digital asset usage. It also bars state agencies from advocating for or supporting any federal CBDC by issuing memoranda or official endorsements. Additionally, the bill protects blockchain participants by preventing restrictions on node operations, asset transfers, and staking, while shielding validators and node operators from civil liability. Meanwhile, House Bill 4512 , introduced by a bipartisan group led by Representative Mike McFall, outlines a Bitcoin mining partnership programme targeting abandoned oil and gas wells. Under the proposed programme, participants would receive temporary rights to use the wells for energy generation in return for assuming responsibility for plugging, site restoration, and response activity. The bill requires the supervisor of wells to identify eligible sites, publish detailed assessments, and manage a competitive bidding process. Selected participants must provide financial assurances, submit environmental and production data, and report annually. Mining rights are contingent on adherence to these obligations and capped plugging costs. McFall also led the introduction of House Bill 4513 , which would amend Michigan’s Income Tax Act to exempt income earned through the proposed Bitcoin mining programme from state income tax. The amendment defines the scope of exempt income and aligns it with the programme framework established under HB 4512, providing clarity for both individual and corporate taxpayers participating in the initiative. In addition to these four bills, Michigan is also considering the creation of a strategic cryptocurrency reserve. Introduced on Feb. 13 as House Bill 4087, this earlier proposal, backed by Representatives Posthumus and Ron Robinson, would authorize the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of the general fund and Budget Stabilization Fund for crypto investments.

Bitget Wallet is a popular, non-custodial Web3 multi-chain crypto wallet with over 80 million users worldwide. Here are some key features and recommendations: *Key Features:* - *Multi-chain support*: Manage assets on over 100 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and more - *Decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator*: Swap tokens across chains with deep liquidity aggregation and minimal slippage - *Security*: Advanced encryption, smart contract verification, approval checkers, and a $300 million protection fund - *dApp explorer*: Access over 20,000 decentralized applications, including DeFi, NFT marketplaces, and more - *GetGas*: Pay gas fees with mainstream tokens, simplifying transactions - *Market insights*: Track top gainers, traded assets, and trending tokens - *Smart money*: Track profitable wallets and whales, and receive notifications *Recommendations:* - *Use for DeFi and Web3 interactions*: Ideal for users who want to explore DeFi, NFTs, and other Web3 applications - *Multi-chain asset management*: Suitable for users with assets on multiple blockchains - *Cross-chain swaps*: Useful for users who need to swap tokens across different chains - *Security-conscious users*: Bitget Wallet's advanced security features, such as smart contract verification and approval checkers, make it a good choice for users prioritizing security

Vitalik Buterin continuously pushes the boundaries of Ethereum. His goal: to make this Layer 1 blockchain faster, more efficient, and above all, sustainable. He envisions a network capable of handling extreme loads without losing security or decentralization. This project is part of a broader ambition: to build a blockchain capable of supporting a thriving digital economy while maintaining its open and decentralized spirit. Vitalik wants an Ethereum ready to explode, but on solid foundations. Vitalik Buterin is not the type to be content with just presenting his ambitious projects for 2025 and then disappearing: he insists, applies pressure, and shares. For him, a solid Ethereum L1 must meet four major conditions . First, the network’s performance must be measured under normal and extreme situations. According to him: Before real-time proofing is deemed production ready, strict cryptographic guarantees are required. This requirement is based on the experience of Succinct, which recently achieved a major breakthrough with ZK proof in under 12 seconds. But this feat still consumes too much energy: nearly 100 kW, while Vitalik dreams of a network that could be validated at home with only 10 kW. Finally, he insists on the need to increase the gas limit, hoping for a multiplication by 10, even 100. Vitalik writes: “We want 10-100x the L1 gas limit.” The ambition is clear: to make Ethereum a network that is scalable, green, and accessible. Vitalik does not hide his admiration for Bitcoin . He stresses that its structure is “so simple a high schooler can understand it.” This simplicity is a source of robustness and transparency. By contrast, Ethereum still suffers from complexity that hampers adoption. To address this, Vitalik proposes aligning Ethereum with this philosophy. This approach is coupled with a quest for individual sovereignty. He states that local nodes are essential for trustless and censorship-resistant access to the blockchain. The so-called “stateless” nodes , which store only part of the data, represent a key evolution. Vitalik explains that these partially stateless nodes “offer direct local access to relevant data while ensuring maximum privacy.” This approach is designed to guarantee that each user remains master of their interactions with Ethereum, safe from centralization. Vitalik continuously reminds us that decentralization is the cornerstone of Ethereum. According to him, scaling the network should not come at the expense of this decentralization. That’s why he proposes solutions to lighten the nodes’ burden, such as EIP-4444 which limits the storage of historical data to 36 days. This measure aims to facilitate the maintenance of personal nodes. Vitalik Buterin also specifies: Outsourced ZK solutions will remain costly, and do not protect against RPC censorship. These remarks recall the threat posed by the concentration of access providers. He wants Ethereum to remain a network where anyone can validate, read, and write freely. These technical innovations are part of a humanistic and pragmatic vision. They combine performance and respect for digital freedoms. Here are some key figures to understand this vision: With a man like Vitalik Buterin, so determined and hardworking, Ethereum doesn’t rest. Proposals follow one after another and updates are constant. On the price side, Ethereum’s crypto follows in bitcoin’s footsteps. Some analysts put forward three solid reasons to believe ETH could reach $5,000 this year: increased adoption, major technical improvements, and a favorable market dynamic. This trajectory illustrates the rise of an ever more robust and ambitious network.

Ethereum (ETH) continues to dominate the smart contract landscape, and now, according to Arthur Hayes, the outspoken former CEO of BitMEX, the second-largest cryptocurrency could be on track to hit $10,000 by 2025. In a recent analysis, Hayes pointed to several macroeconomic and crypto-native factors that could push ETH to five digits, including the rise of tokenized real-world assets, Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem explosion, and a looming bull cycle driven by global liquidity injections. 📈 Why $10,000 ETH Might Be Closer Than You Think Arthur Hayes is no stranger to bold predictions, and his recent essay lays out a compelling argument for a massive ETH rally: Global Money Printing: With central banks across the world likely to resume easing, the influx of liquidity will find its way into risk assets, including crypto. Ethereum as Global Settlement Layer: ETH is increasingly being used to settle real-world assets (RWAs), such as tokenized treasuries and corporate debt. L2 Scaling Maturity: Rollups like Optimism, Arbitrum, and zkSync are reducing gas fees and attracting developers. ETF Catalyst: A U.S. spot Ethereum ETF could be approved by 2025, unlocking billions in institutional capital. Hayes believes these drivers will create a perfect storm that propels ETH beyond its previous all-time high of ~$4,800. 🛠️ Ethereum’s Fundamentals Are Stronger Than Ever Ethereum burns supply daily via EIP-1559, making it deflationary in periods of high network activity. The Merge transitioned Ethereum to Proof-of-Stake (PoS), cutting energy use by over 99%. ETH staking continues to grow, with more than 25% of supply locked, reducing sell pressure. Hayes argues that ETH is now “ultrasound money” a better version of Bitcoin for those who believe in programmable value, smart contracts, and digital economies. 🧠 Not Just Hype: But High Risk, Too Despite his bullishness, Hayes warns that volatility and regulatory uncertainty remain major risks. If the U.S. or other countries move aggressively against DeFi or ETH staking, the timeline to $10K could be delayed. He also stresses that the timing depends heavily on macro factors, especially central bank policy, inflation trends, and geopolitical tensions. ✅ Conclusion Arthur Hayes' forecast of Ethereum reaching $10,000 by 2025 might sound bold, but the underlying logic is rooted in tangible fundamentals. With Ethereum leading the charge in tokenized assets, scalable infrastructure, and deflationary mechanics, it’s clear the network is maturing into a global financial backbone. If market conditions align, $10K ETH could be more than a dream, it could be the next major milestone in crypto’s evolution. ⚠️ Disclaimer This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high level of risk and volatility. Always conduct your own research (DYOR) and consult a professional financial advisor before making any investment decisions.